Which of these cheapens the reputation of martial arts more?

[IronFist]

One of the things martial artists have to deal with is people giving MA a bad name, because you don't want to be associated with those people, or rather, you don't want those people associated with what you do.

Poll choices coming

[uki]

ones personal attitude is the foremost detrimental aspect associated with martial arts... if you rub of as a being a d!ck, even though you are an expert martial artist, peoples first impression of you is going to become an embryonic bias that martial artists are d!cks.

[Punch.HeadButt]

I choose politics. Everybody sticking their nose in everyone else's business, saying this or that is not traditional, or this or that lineage isn't valid, or this or that training method is not as good as this one or that one.

I'm not talking about actual discussion and exchanging of viewpoints and experience...I'm talking about the political bickering that makes a lot of the TCMA community look like high school girls at lunch break.

Everyone worrying about what everyone else is doing. It's silly, and one of the main reasons I don't really talk about martial arts with other people. Prefer to just keep my mouth shut and ears open (just in case a gem floats by).

[taai gihk yahn]

where's the "all of the above"? there's no "all of the above"...

[bawang]

ur asking me which pile of sh1t smells worst. they all sh1t.

[David Jamieson]

The pile with the corn in it smells worse.

[Shaolin]

This poll cheapens the reputation. The problem is practitioners have a bad attitude towards those doing there own thing enjoying the way they choose to practice their martial arts. What do we care if they break things on their body or yell and scream, or create their own form of tournament sparring. As long as they're enjoying their lives who are we to judge?

[bawang]

its offensive when you make a mockery out of someone elses culture, turn something somber, manly, and spiritual into something childish, effiminate, greedy , selfish and corrupt.

when you purposely negatively impact anothers culture, customs, and way of life, you become an intruder. you dont get to choose.

[Dragonzbane76]

yeah someone make an option for "all the above" I was going to vote for that, but alas no option.

[Iron_Eagle_76]

This poll cheapens the reputation. The problem is practitioners have a bad attitude towards those doing there own thing enjoying the way they choose to practice their martial arts. What do we care if they break things on their body or yell and scream, or create their own form of tournament sparring. As long as they're enjoying their lives who are we to judge?

While your argument has merit, there is an underlying problem that exists relevant to Kung Fu particulary.

Bending spears with throats, using toothpick bo staffs while yelling and screaming, making up crap sparring that is ineffective, and being "too deadly" to spar are all predominatly found in Kung Fu, as well as some other Asian TMA.

So in essence the whole guilty by association is why many look down on Kung Fu because they see a group of tricksters and charlatains who try and convince people too naive or stupid to know better into drinking their kool-aid. Bawang actually brings up a good point, if I were Chinese and someone sh**it all over my cultural heritage like this I would be pi***sed too, because the truth of it is this is not what TCMA is supposed to be.

It is the same as the quack doctors of the early 20th century selling charms and snake oil and saying it cured cancer. They are selling people a false hope and false sense of security and honestly I believe martial artists have a duty to inform ignorant people of this kind of garbage.

And you know what, I am going to bring the MMA vs. TMA because in the end, modern MMA is what Kung Fu was and should return to, not a bunch of limp noodles in silk pajamas yelling STEP!!

[sanjuro_ronin]

All of the above and YES as practioners of TCMA we not only have the right but the DUTY to point out what makes TCMA look bad.

[Lebaufist]

I voted for number 3.

Because it is the biggest pile on the list. And not because they try to look like their style. Its because they don't seem to have the foggiest notion about the context and purpose for their technique. They instead flip the page and choose technique 237-b and just throw it out into the air like a net to catch fish in hope that something will connect.

The qi gung tricks and the extreme kiai flippers still do need a modicum of conditioning. So in at least that they have something.

Too deadly teacher is an excuse for inaction. Perhaps they are old, perhaps they just don't want to bother with the physical tolls ring fighting takes. BUT, it doesn't necessarily reflect a weakness in the student's training. I mean, just look at Ross.

[Faruq]

its offensive when you make a mockery out of someone elses culture, turn something somber, manly, and spiritual into something childish, effiminate, greedy , selfish and corrupt.

when you purposely negatively impact anothers culture, customs, and way of life, you become an intruder. you dont get to choose.

This is deep, though people of the very culture do it as well....

[Faruq]

I think people who cannot apply the art effectively in combat yet go around saying they know it or even worse, teaching it, would be the worst culprit. Followed at a close second by the people who sell $500 Bai Ci certificates and /or teach fake forms to people thought not to matter....

[Lebaufist]

Well, its both. The pressure on the early 20th century CMA teachers to get successful schools running led to the situation TCMA in america is in now.